Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

Hearing Obito's words, Rin, as always, didn't undermine him and praised, "That's amazing."

"Haha!"

Obito tilted his head back and laughed uncontrollably. Scratching his head in an exaggerated manner, he boasted, "Of course! I'm a genius."

Rin kept her smile and encouraged him, "Yes, Obito is a genius."

This wasn't just empty flattery. If it had been during their academy days or shortly after graduation, Rin might not have said such words. Back then, she only thought Obito worked very hard. But now, she truly believed Obito was a genius.

"Rin…"

Obito's eyes filled with tears as he gazed at Rin, deeply moved.

"That's right, I'm a genius." Now that someone agreed with him, Obito spoke with greater confidence.

Just then, a real genius made his appearance.

Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui walked over from the other end of the street, accompanied by a black-haired young boy and a beautiful girl around Itachi's age.

The little boy, about four or five years old, had black hair and dark eyes—a cute child. He was Itachi's younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha.

The girl, with her beautiful light brown hair, slender eyebrows, and large eyes, had a small mole under her right eye that added to her charm. Her name was Izumi Uchiha, a classmate of Itachi's who walked beside him, her glances often betraying subtle admiration.

Sasuke, holding Itachi's hand, cast a slightly hostile glance at Izumi.

Feeling Sasuke's gaze, Izumi silently returned it with a glare of her own, making Sasuke puff up his cheeks in frustration.

Meanwhile, Shisui and Itachi were chatting about whether to go to the newly opened Sanshoku Dango shop or visit the well-established restaurant with excellent food. They didn't notice the silent eye battle between Sasuke and Izumi.

Seeing Shisui and Itachi walking toward them, Obito's eyes lit up. Despite the distance, he waved enthusiastically and shouted, "Shisui! Itachi! What a coincidence!"

Saying that, he ran toward them.

"Obito," Shisui and Itachi greeted him with smiles.

Obito ran up to them and said to Itachi in all seriousness, "How many times have I told you? It's Obito-senpai!"

Itachi looked up at Obito, smiled, and said nothing.

Obito sighed, rubbing his forehead. It seemed like getting Itachi to call him senpai was going to be a tough task.

At this moment, Rin walked over, smiling as she greeted Shisui and the others.

"Shisui, I want to challenge you to a race!" Obito suddenly said, looking at Shisui with determination.

"Huh?" Shisui blinked in surprise before smiling wryly and politely declining. "But… today we're celebrating Itachi's promotion to Chunin. We were just about to go eat dango. Can we do it another time?"

"Not bad, Itachi. You're already a Chunin?" Obito looked at the smiling Itachi with surprise, clearly unaware of the news.

Sasuke, pouting, proudly said, "My brother passed the Chunin Exam all by himself."

Hearing this, Obito was slightly shocked, though he kept a straight face and shamelessly boasted, "Passing the Chunin Exam alone? That's too easy."

High above on a rooftop, Minato heard Obito's words and rubbed his forehead with a helpless smile. If he remembered correctly, Obito had failed the exam, hadn't he?

In an instant, Minato vanished from the rooftop and appeared beside Obito with the Body Flicker Technique.

Minato's sudden appearance startled Sasuke and Izumi, while Shisui and Itachi remained calm.

Seeing Minato, Shisui and Itachi respectfully greeted him, "Fourth Hokage-sama."

Minato smiled gently and nodded at Shisui and Itachi.

"Sensei, what are you doing here?" Obito asked, surprised to see Minato.

"Minato-sensei," Rin greeted him with a smile.

"I've finished my work and thought I'd check on how well you've mastered the technique," Minato said, glancing at Obito. Then he turned to Rin and asked, "Rin, aren't you supposed to be with Kushina today?"

Rin replied with a smile, "I was just on my way there."

"Then you'd better hurry," Minato said.

"Okay. Obito, I'll be leaving now," Rin nodded and turned to leave, heading to Kushina to continue learning medical ninjutsu.

"Huh?" Obito wasn't ready to let Rin go just yet. This was his chance—Shisui was here, Rin was watching, and he wanted to race Shisui to show off his mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique.

He quickly said, "Rin, wait a moment."

Rin stopped a few steps away and looked back at Obito, puzzled.

After stopping Rin, Obito turned to Shisui, clasped his hands together, and pleaded, "Shisui, please race me. I want to see how far I've come."

Faced with Obito's second request, Shisui looked a little conflicted. He felt that there was no comparison between them, but since today was meant to celebrate Itachi's promotion, declining twice might seem rude.

"If it's convenient, I'd like to see this match," Minato said with a smile. He had come to check on Obito's mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique, so if this match could happen, it would be perfect timing.

Itachi, looking at Obito's earnest expression, smiled and chimed in, "Shisui, I'd like to see it too."

Hearing Itachi's words, Shisui smiled helplessly and said, "Since even you are saying so, fine."

The only reason Shisui was hesitant was that today was supposed to be a celebration for Itachi. But since Itachi himself had spoken, there was no reason to refuse anymore.

Seeing Shisui agree, Obito grinned widely and said, "Let's hurry then! Come on, let's go to the training grounds."

Then, turning to Rin, he added, "Rin, you should come too!"

Rin hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright."

Hearing Rin's agreement, Obito felt a burst of joy inside. Perfect—everyone was here. Now it was time for the main character, himself, to shine. He was determined to impress Rin and Itachi this time.

With that, the group headed toward Konoha's training ground. The area was spacious, making it an ideal place for a speed competition.

At the training ground, many shinobi were already practicing. Obito picked a relatively secluded section with enough length to meet the competition's needs.

"See that tree over there?" Obito pointed to a tree about 800 meters away.

Shisui nodded. "I see it."

"Here's the rule: Minato-sensei will count to three, and we'll start running from here. Whoever touches the tree first wins. How does that sound?" Obito explained.

"Alright." Shisui had no objections. For a distance of 800 meters, using the Body Flicker Technique, he estimated he could reach it in about three seconds.

"Good." Seeing Shisui agree, Obito's eyes filled with fighting spirit. He had worked hard to master the Flying Thunder God Technique for this very moment.

This was his chance to prove himself, to perform impressively in front of Rin, and to earn recognition—not to mention impress Minato-sensei.

Shisui's Body Flicker Technique was famously strong.

Itachi, observing Obito's confidence, thought silently to himself, "Let's see how this goes."

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Izumi stood beside Itachi, purely there as spectators.

Rin watched Obito with some anticipation, hoping he would win.

"Get ready," Minato said as he looked at both of them. He, too, was excited to see the outcome of this match.

Let's do this…!

Obito took out two specially marked Flying Thunder God kunai from his tool pouch. His eyes locked onto the tree 800 meters away. He figured he would need two throws to get there.

Shisui noticed the unique design of the kunai and was slightly surprised. These kunai were the same ones used by the Fourth Hokage for the Flying Thunder God Technique.

"Could it be… Obito has mastered the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique?" Shisui wondered, recalling what Minato had mentioned earlier. This thought amazed him, but he quickly suppressed his surprise. No matter what, he wouldn't hold back in this match.

Minato's sharp gaze shifted between the two, and he began the countdown.

"One… Two… Three!"

The match began!

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Currently on Chapter 422 - The Devastation That Sweeps Throughout Konoha